


There and Back Again Part 3

by Carisa_Ironfell



Series: There and Back Again [3]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: BILBO KNOWS O_O, Battle of Five Armies - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fili is bad at lying, Gen, I love making these tags entirely too much, Kili and Fili are still scheming and you can tell now, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, OH MY GOSH GUYS IT'S HAPPENING, Sort Of, Thorin Is an Idiot, Thorin is dumb, Thorin is still awkward, btw I don't think Bilbo likes being dead, it's still a slow burn, not sorry about that, since he brought it up twice in a row and everything, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:56:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21641821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carisa_Ironfell/pseuds/Carisa_Ironfell
Summary: The dwarves hit the road and Bilbo learns what's up. Sort of. Fili and Kili continue to be little twerps.
Relationships: eventual Thorin Oakenshield/Bilbo Baggins
Series: There and Back Again [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559959
Comments: 3
Kudos: 106





	There and Back Again Part 3

**Author's Note:**

> Can you tell it was getting late when we wrote the tags? I was laughing way too hard.
> 
> My dear sister has written this fantastic story, and the whole series in fact! I'm just letting her use my account to post it. Thank you so much for reading, and we hope you enjoy!!!

Bilbo made sure this time that all the right people knew he would be away from home for a while, to avoid being presumed dead again. He did not want to come back and find out he was dead again. For an added precaution, he asked the Gaffer to look after his garden.

He did worry about his sapling, but Hamfast knew how to care for plants even better than Bilbo did. It wouldn’t suffer if he stayed in Erebor for a while.

The four of them departed Bag End on a nice spring morning. Bilbo expected to form a single line, but Fili kept doing something with his pony that forced Bilbo to ride beside Thorin. Well, he’d best make the most of it.

“Ah, Thorin? I’ve been thinking, I’d like to write a book about everything that happened,” he said. Thorin had been very quiet the whole time Bilbo had packed, and he hoped he wasn’t interrupting anything.

“Oh? Is that a custom with hobbits?” Thorin asked. Bilbo wasn’t sure, but he thought Thorin relaxed into his saddle.

“Sort of. Most hobbits aren’t too worried about books and history, but I’ve always had a passion for them. I’d like to write my life, though I don’t expect anyone will read it. Most likely my book will gather dust on a shelf in Bag End until one of my unwitting relatives picks it up.”

Actually, now that Bilbo thought of it, he wasn’t sure what would happen to Bag End when he was gone. He’d have to do something, or it was sure to end up with the Sackville-Bagginses.

“That would be a shame. I think your story would thrill small hobbits for years,” Thorin said, breaking Bilbo out of thought.

Bilbo blinked at him and was astonished to see an impish smile.

“After all, those trolls believed you about the parasites,” the dwarf king added.

Bilbo laughed. “They were rather stupid. So you don’t mind?”

“No, but I think I’d like to read it. I’m sure you remember everything much differently.”

Behind them, Kili and Fili were choking with barely concealed laughter. Bilbo turned in his saddle, trying to discover what was so funny. The moment they noticed him looking, the brothers straightened up and attempted to look serious.

Bilbo frowned, but he didn’t like twisting around, so he faced forward again. It had been a long since he’d been on a pony and it was taking a while to remember how to do it.

He pointed out Shire sights to Thorin, though it felt a little silly to think he’d be interested in the tiny things of Bilbo’s homeland. He loved the Shire, but he was more aware than ever that there wasn’t much here to interest anyone who had traveled Middle-earth for any significant time.

To Bilbo’s surprise, Thorin not only listened to him, but asked more questions and looked genuinely eager to hear the answers. He broadened his stories, happy to have an interested audience.

He also tried to ignore the frequent wheezes behind him. Kili and Fili were clearly up to something.

Days blended together and Bilbo started to notice something odd. Kili and Fili were doing something and attempting to hide it. For whatever reason, Thorin hadn’t noticed. Still, Bilbo didn’t like living on edge, waiting for mischief. He had to catch them at it and make sure they weren’t seriously misbehaving.

It didn’t seem serious, but he couldn’t possibly understand why they were so determined to get him alone with Thorin. Every day it was the same: leave them in the camp to pack while the brothers got the ponies. Use any means available to keep Bilbo riding beside Thorin. Volunteer for jobs that would take them out of camp, leaving Bilbo and Thorin alone again. What were they expecting to happen?

Bilbo got his chance when they reached the wilds beyond Bree. Thorin called his nephews up to point out a craggy ruin. Kili eagerly rode up beside him to listen, but Fili looked about as bored as Bilbo, who had learned about it from Gandalf earlier. He dropped his pony back beside Fili’s.

“What are the pair of you plotting?” he asked.

Fili jumped and stared. His pony plodded on, not even startled. “What do you mean, Bilbo? Nobody’s plotting anything!”

Bilbo shook his head. “I know you and Kili are up to something. Just tell me what it is, and I won’t breathe a word to Thorin.”

Fili lowered his eyebrows and pondered this. Bilbo knew he’d chosen the right promise. Both brothers loved Thorin, but that didn’t stop him from occasionally doling out discipline.

“All right, I’ll tell you,” Fili finally said. “We’re trying to keep you with Thorin.”

Bilbo looked at him blankly. “What? I don’t understand. We’ll be traveling for weeks, why would you need to do anything out of the ordinary?”

Fili sighed. “He’s been miserable since you left. It took a lot of convincing to get him to admit it. He thought you’d never forgive him. Well, he should say what we’re trying to get him to say. Just, try to get him to open up, all right?”

Before Bilbo could think of any other questions to ask, Kili edged him aside and Bilbo had to retake his place beside Thorin. Well, maybe he didn’t know what was going on, but he didn’t mind spending more time with his friend.

Then again, he wasn’t sure friend was the right word for Thorin anymore. Sure, the dwarf king was reserved and perfectly dignified, but Bilbo lived for the moments when he could coax out the genuine smile he wasn’t sure Thorin showed to anyone else.

Bilbo couldn’t admit it to anyone else, but he might just be falling in love with Thorin Oakenshield.


End file.
